Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-10
HARPER TEST|F|ES.
L Difficult Witness for His Attorneys
to Manage.
The Wheat Deals We're All For VIII
shire's Benefit.
Not q Dollar of the Banks Money Went
Into Deal.
A Lame Explanation of the 5000, 900
Transaction.
At No Time Did lie Intend to Defraud
tie Baak.
HARPER TES7|F|ES.

CINCINNATI, December 9.-Harper's man
ner on the stand to-day showed what
difficulty he has been for his attorneys to
manage. He took the jary into his conf
dence and talked to them with the purpose
OF convincing them, but all the time he ras
transgressing the rules OF evidence as ex-
planned to him By J.dgs jackson. Hstes-
titled dozen times to occurrences to which
he did not witness. Every question FUR.
nished new opportunity to him to say
what his intentions were. 1t seemed like
presumption after Harper sweeping denial
that he had ever in any way ordered VIII
shire to buy wheat for him in Chicago OF
elsewhere for his counsel to hand him three
notes bearing the initials 20. K, e. l.. H.
and ask him to explain them. Harper said
when Wiltshire in March still! owed the bank
and him thoee large suns, he insisted on his
selling out his wheat SO AS to pay his debts.
Wiltshire said to do 80 safely he should b1y
wheat that day to keep up the market and
then he could sell out to advantage rext
day. HE asked my advice" said Harper,
''ard said tc him make out your order to
buy June wheat, IL it is all right III .. K.
it, Mr.. Wiltshire sent to the bank this
note that he was going to buy that day
$50, 900 wheat, o. KID it. IL was no
act OF
ACCOUNT OF NINE
in any shape or iorm. The books OF the
bank will show, I think, that he owed the
| bank considerable amount OF money next
day. I had no purpose whatever in this
transaction except to get the money for
! the hank, that was owing to it by Wiltshire" J"
| The second note was cipher and Harper
/ said it related to some sort oi transaction.
The third note he explained by saying that
Wiltshire told him he had to pay !or lot
| OF wheat for May. HE wanted me- said
Harper ''to furnish money for this pur-
pose ard l refused. He said I would be
sorry. advised him to sell May wheat
| and buy June and pay tho difference. Ha
| asked me to write n memorandum OF
| telegram to that effect saying: please
change that May wheat. have not pro-
yided for June and July. Ny principe! has
decided etc. Mr.. Wiltshire represented to
me that he was buying largely for Cleve-
land parties. and that is what suppose
he referred to in the words my principal ~
Tho witness then asked
| PERMISSION TO EXPLAIN
the check OF Wilsh;re's for $4,000 in Oct
oher. but was stopped by the court. He
was then asked ii it was given for a wheat
deal. Ee answered no, that it was given
to pay bonds " hich Wiltshire had hypothe-
Gated without authority. Here the court
again stopped him and cautioned him to
answer questions ard not go into irrele.
want matters, hut be again told that VII.
shire had gone to Cleveland to get help
from bis Drother-in-law, and had come
back with nothing, and later that VIII
shire had a'orts"ssd Irea-r+y fnr S14Q.-
600, and explained to him he did 20 to
make good that cum OF money eunk by
him in wheat taken from his tather's as
tate. He explained elso how he discount
ed Lewis notes at Wiishires suggestion
and after again denying that e. dollar oi
the banks money or his went into wheat
deal, went on to tell Of the crash, how VIII
shire and Hopkins followed him to Bow
mans, where he dimes. and with teara IN
their eyes begged him to let them havs
r,ore money. He had refused Wiltshire
that morning. Hopkins soggeated tele
graphing to 4: bank I'll Chicago to see
HOW MUCH THEY WOULD TAKE
TO carry the deaf through. Hopkins sent
such a telegram to the American Lxchn ag
Bank. Chicago. When witness returned
from dinner he iourd telegram en- hi
desk from that bank. saying il Wilshir
was there next morning With S6OO,CUo i
would be safe. That was where kers.ia"
& Co. had their account. He told hos
Wiltshire. Hopkins aud he talked the mat
, ter over and decided they would save IN
J bank. HOPKINS had q ,ttter OF credi
/ drawn for 100000 ard four drafts q
, the Chemical Bank OF New York for S1Oo
900, Wiltshire was afraid to carry th
3 lmoney, lest it be attached, and it was al
| ranged Gohr should go with him. Cob
was instructed not to give up the none
: without a guarantee. Next morning b
4 repeated this warning l'y telegram, an
+: was answered that it was too late. II
E; then stopped payment on the drafts. Ii
became affected at this point, and wen
;; on to say how he put all Ills 1ponsy INT
:, the bank to cave it, only to see the othe
v directors walk in and check theirs ou
}, Only Zimmerman of all the directors O
!. fered any assistance. Then the GoSerl
}, ment came in and
y THE END WAS REACHED.
Counsel next asked in detail whether
had ever had or ordered any wheat tran
action with various brokers in Chicag'
naming them, and he returned the san
answer. In February, 1887. he had coz
versation with Hopkins about the lIwil
II Green & Co. matter and told Llm |
= thought it was dishonest. About II
:, s2S5. 900 transaction with the Eideli'
Bank, he had no knowledge whatever un'
J. told OF it in jail at Dayton. Hopkins ha
= transaction thiu1gh Hoyt with kersha
It & Co. and he was trying to hedge gam
"a our Losses by Wiltshire. II Leaned mont
to Hopkins" ;" grid the witness, land pa
:, drafts for hin,. but '1sed my own mon
q and never took Denny out Q! the bank
e funds for this purpose Hopkins went
# $4,000 with another br.yer and helpt
Y him. This was paid beck ard the mont
q went into the bank. This also was he'd
,e ing operation" The
s. WITNESS WAS THEN EXAMINED
:. "a to the assets OF Swift's Iron 4 st.
g Works, the Riverside rolling mill firm ol
" L. Harper e. Co. and of himself, and ga
&c all The TRANSACTIONS Of these firms ana COZ
- punies with the Fidelity Bank were legl
20 nate Mr.. Blackburn again asked h,m II
q had anything to do with Hopkins vile
20 deals through Broker hoyt. He answer
~ that he paid Hopkins drafts, but he dlc
" to protect the bank, II was interest,
through Hopkins to that extent. '
would first protect the interests OF
bank, and after that If there was sny pre-
A left it was to be divided between Hopk'
IN and myself" Mr.. Blackburn asked: ~
- you at any time nave any intentions IN
these transactions to de,raud inc bsnk
ae ANYBODY e,se?" None in the world" "
st the answer. The crossexar,inatlon W
h brief. It brought out the fact tnat ne p'
ks chased a certificate Of deposit with his o'
at checks, which were not charged to his